Internet Has Increased Domestic Music Listening Over Foreign Music

From The Economist, Free exchange, "Face the music" by C W:

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the proportion of domestic music fell sharply: Italians were listening to relatively less Italian music and relatively more American music. By 1985, consumers spent as much time listening to foreign bands as they did domestic groups. But from the low point of the mid-1980s the picture changed. We have now reached a level of domestic consumption not seen for 50 years, with 70% of listening time devoted to domestic tunes. People increasingly seem to prefer domestic repertoire to foreign fare.

Why is this? Improved communication networks make a big—and counterintuitive—difference. People might assume that the internet would make consumers’ music choices more global. But the spread of the internet has actually enabled the dissemination of local music within countries more than it has increased the availability and consumption of foreign music.